Here at GetResponse, we’re always happy to see our customers succeed. We know that sometimes you need new inspiring ideas to drive the success. What are the ways to achieve new goals? There’s no single answer. But we can always learn something from successful entrepreneurs.

So, we decided to launch our new podcast “Entrepreneur of the Month,” a series of interviews with business owners, writers, digital marketing gurus, influencers, and many more.

We’re excited to have none other than Jamie Turner as our host – an internationally-recognized author, speaker, and marketing expert. Jamie is also a GetResponse Ambassador (yay!). Here’s what he said about the new podcast:

“If you’re like most business people, you want to learn how to take your business (or your career) to the next level. One of the best ways to do that is to hear how other successful executives have grown their organizations from small start-ups to full-fledged businesses.

That’s the idea behind The Entrepreneur of the Month podcast – to provide our listeners with an inside look at the tips and techniques business rock stars have used to take their companies from a simple idea to a profitable business.”

In the first episode, Jamie interviews Lon Safko. Lon is an entrepreneur and the author of several books on marketing, including the Social Media Bible and the Innovative Thinkers Bible. Lon has himself started fourteen companies(!), and in our podcast, he shares his thoughts on lessons learned from business start-ups, cooperation with Apple and Steve Jobs, and the companies that inspire him.

“You can’t lose if you don’t quit.” is Lon’s business philosophy. So expect to learn how Lon is managing his business routine and balancing work with personal life.

So, let’s get listening!

There will be a new episode every week, so don’t miss the second episode with Lon Safko next week. In the coming months, you’ll hear inspiring stories from Andrea Vahl, Andrew Davis, and Viveka von Rosen. So if you don’t want to miss them, subscribe to our podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes. And get inspired!

This is the first time we’re doing a podcast, so we’d love your feedback. Let us know what you think. Or maybe there’s an entrepreneur you’d like us to interview? Let us know. We have some goodies in store for the most valuable reviews!

We teamed up with Smart Insights to publish the Email Marketing and Marketing Automation Excellence 2018 report last month – our annual global benchmarking research. Its goal is to show the current state of email marketing and marketing automation and help marketers take full advantage of the options they have and optimize their strategy.

We also created an infographic to highlight the key report takeaways. Read on to find what they are!

Key takeaways from the report:

The report shows both great news and some warning signs for marketers.

Email’s topping the charts.

The great news is – email marketing is still the most effective channel of all! Marketers rate it as the best for ROI – 29% say it’s good, and 18% describe it as excellent.

The return on investment encourages marketers to spend more budget on email marketing – 47% businesses plan to do so!

But, while increasing the budget, we need to use it to its full potential to keep the campaigns effective. And that’s where there’s still room to grow.

There’s still more potential to automation.

As many as 28% of businesses use only basic marketing automation features, while less than one-tenth uses all of them to get the best results. When it comes to experience, only 5% of marketers call themselves experts. If you’re not one of them but would like to be – we’ve got the right resources to help you. You can check out the Marketing Automation Hub on our blog, enroll in a free Mastering Marketing Automation email course from GetResponse University, or turn to our Help Center for some answers to your questions.

Landing pages need more love.

It’s surprising that only 20% of businesses never create dedicated landing pages. Landing pages can do wonders for your conversion rates and are undeniable lead magnets. They minimize distractions while focusing on a single goal. Let’s hope that in the future more marketers appreciate the importance of landing pages! Meanwhile, if you don’t feel ready to start creating your own, feel free to read more about them here:

Test, analyze, optimize.

Have you maximized the relevance of your email campaigns by segmenting your list? If you did, congratulations! You’re among the 47% of marketers that don’t send the same message to everyone. If your answer was no: don’t worry. There’s always time to learn and improve your business strategy. See how to get started with your email segmentation, and personalize your emails, so your subscribers know you care.

Also, 60% percent of businesses don’t proactively test their email marketing. Don’t work on your emails in the dark! Find out what works best for your audience, then implement it.

When it comes to analyzing, 28% don’t focus on any specific metrics. That’s not that high of a percentage, but we expect it to lower over time. So, track your metrics and set your goals!

Infographic

What are the top three automated emails? How many emails do businesses send monthly? See all the key takeaways in our infographic below!

Don’t forget to listen to our podcast that explains the key findings of the EM&MA Excellence report.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Whether you’re setting up a landing page for the first or billionth time, it’s easy to forget something. Even though it’s only one page on your website, there are many moving parts to juggle. Some are more important than others – and if they get lost in the rush, you could lose valuable conversions.

Thankfully, there are a few simple things you can do to avoid dropping the ball when building landing pages. One of the best is to keep a checklist handy, so you can tick tasks off as you do them. Each time you go to publish a page, just do a quick scan of all the elements and you’re good to go.

In this guide, we’ll outline all the essential elements you need before publishing your page. They split into three categories:

Content

Design

User experience

Use the checklist as a jumping-off point. You may need to add a few extra items specific to your business and the tools you use.

But before we get to that, here’s a free infographic with everything you need to know about landing pages in Southeast Asia:

Landing page content

Content is the copy, images, and forms you add to your landing page.

1. Copy

Is the headline actionable and benefit-focused?

Your headline should entice people to do something, such as fill out a form. To make that happen, use action-oriented words that communicate the value of the offer. CompareFree Guide: Creating Emails That Get Opened, Read and ClickedwithGuide to Emails. The first is much more compelling and likely to elicit a response.

Does the headline match the source copy?

However people arrive at your landing page, make sure its copy complements the referring source copy. For instance, if someone lands on your page after clicking a link in your blog, the landing page headline should be similar to the language used in that call-to-action. People could be disappointed if they click through and don’t get what they expect – or are left confused.

Does the subhead describe the offer benefits?

Think of the subheader as an extension of your headline. Your headline’s job is to catch the eye, and state the offer and its value. The subhead is less flashy: it clearly expands on the main benefit. For the headlineFree Guide: Creating Emails that Get Opened, Read and Clicked, the subhead could be:Learn how to write engaging emails that convert prospects into brand evangelists.

Is the body copy scannable, scrollable and compelling?

Next, look at the main copy of your landing page. People shouldn’t have to read this to know what the offer is – because your headline and subhead should do that. But if they want more information, the body copy is where they’ll find it.

There’s no set length here. Just make sure it’s informative and enticing, yet easy to scan. Bullet points and short paragraphs can help with scannability – especially for people on mobile.

Are the page title, URL, and meta descriptions optimized for search?

The purpose of a landing page is to get traffic, leads, and customers. To do that, you need to optimize it for search engines.

Make sure that the page title, URL, and meta description all feature the main keywords. This helps your page rank well in search results – and also compel people to click on your listing. Need to brush up on your landing page SEO skills?Check out this post.

2. Images

Does the image match the offer?

We’re told to use a “compelling” image – but what does that actually mean? Well, the best images are those that illustrate the landing page offer.

For instance, if you’re promoting your ebook on how to write emails, you should add an image of the book – rather than a picture of a person relaxing on a beach. Sure, your readers might get a raise which allows them to take a vacation. But an image of that won’t really make sense.

Does the image have alt text?

Sometimes your carefully chosen, perfect image won’t appear. That’s why you should optimize your marketing for the worst case scenario – not the best case! Maybe there’s an issue with your visitor’s browser, or your website. Either way, it pays to add alt text to your image. So if it doesn’t show up, your visitors still know what’s supposed to be there.

3. Form

Does the form length reflect your page goal?

Your form should match the goal you set for the page. If you want lots of leads but don’t really care about the quality, keep the form short with just a few fields. But if you prefer quality over quantity, make it longer to glean more information from contacts.

Is the submit button customized?

Does the button at the bottom of your form say ‘Submit’ or ‘Send’? It’s time to change that. Although it’s a small part of your page, it can play a big role in boosting conversions. So be sure to use action-oriented language. For example, the button on your ebook landing page could say,Get My Free Ebook Now.

Have you enabled progressing profiling for return visitors?

People who have already filled out forms on your site won’t want to enter their information again. Make it easy for them by switching on progressive profiling – so their details are automatically populated in the form.

Landing page layout

Now let’s look at the elements that affect the page as a whole – and not just the content you’re creating.

Does the content pass the blink test?

Look at your page for five seconds before blinking. Is it obvious what your landing page is all about? Is the value proposition clear? Is it easy to get the offer? If not, go back and tweak your content using the previous checklist items.

Are the thank you page and kickback emails set up and working?

After filling out the form, are people taken to the thank you page? Do they get a kickback email? Make sure the entire process works, so the conversation with your contacts is clear, simple and seamless.

Your turn!

Do you use this checklist when building your landing pages? Are there any other things you do – and what have been the results? Let me know in the comments!

Get excited, because our biggest-ever online marketing conference is back in 2019! This time we’re taking ResponseCon to Boston for intensive two-day training. This is your chance to get certified – and meet and mingle with industry experts, GetResponse users, and partners.

Last year’s events in Boston, Denver, Austin, and San Diego were a huge hit, as was our ResponseCon series in Warsaw and Malaysia. Online experts Andrew Davis, Michael Brenner, and Jamie Turner brought the house down – and we can’t wait to do the same next year.

Is ResponseCon for me?

ResponseCon is for you if you’re marketing and tech-savvy, and want to delve deeper into marketing automation, email, and landing pages. You might be a marketing manager, small business owner or CEO. And if you’re a fan of our platform, you’ll get the chance to mingle with your peers – including our team and CEO.

Why should I attend?

ResponseCon is the only international marketing event that blends world-known speakers, free tools, and practical workshops to get you certified.

Just for coming along, you’ll get access to some really effective tools and online courses to hone your skills long after the event ends.

There are also real-life case studies with top brands, one-on-one sessions to suit your business challenges, certification workshops, and endless networking opportunities with people just like you.

Who are the keynote speakers? Keep an eye on your inbox for all the details!

Early bird tickets now on sale

Get your early bird tickets today (starting from just $139) or subscribe to stay in the loop. And if you’re already a GetResponse customer, you’ll get 30% off your ticket.

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I am a web designer from NJ who loves getting involved with new web project. I have also have a burning passion for digital marketing and hope to bring out an info product on web design in the near future :)